Frīgidulus (‘chilly’) is an example of a diminutive. A diminutive refers to something which is smaller than the original word or is used to convey endearment. English has many diminutive forms which are sometimes indicated by suffixes:
book > booklet
drop > droplet
duck > duckling
goose > gosling
English can also use
‘little’ not only to express physical size but also affection, for example ‘my
little friend’. Diminutive words do not occur often in Latin, and they can have
different suffixes to indicate that they are diminutives: -ulus, -culus, -unculus,
-ellus, -illius, -ulueus, but note the characteristic /l/; diminutive nouns are
all second declension (most are masculine), and all diminutive adjectives are
1st / 2nd declension.
albus, -a, -um: white >
albulus, -a, -um: whiteish
amīcus, -ī [2/m]: friend
> amīculus, -ī [2/m]: little friend; dear friend
avus, -ī [2/m]: grandfather
> avunculus, -ī [2/m]: uncle
caelum, -ī [2/n]: sky >
caeruleus, -a, -um: blue; greenish-blue*
canis, -is [3 m/f]: dog >
caniculus, -ī [2/m]: little dog
crustum, -ī [2/n] pastry;
cake > crustulum, -ī [2/n]: small cake; cookie
līber, librī [2/m]: book
> libellus, -ī [2/m]: little book; leaflet
puer, -ī [2/m]: boy >
puerulus, -ī [2/m]: little boy
*The Romans had many
different words for the varietiēs of blue; caeruleus, -a, -um means ‘having the
colour of the sky’.
Below are diminutive words
that are associated with weather descriptions:
frīgidus, -a, -um:cold >
frīgidulus, -a, -um: a little cold; chilly
nūbēs, -is [3/f] cloud >
nūbēcula, -ae [1/f]: little cloud
ventus, -ī [2/m] wind >
ventulus, -ī [2/m]: breeze*
*The far more common word in
Latin is aura, -ae [1/f]: breeze
From the authors:
1. Hic puerulus ā
Victōriā Caesar est appellātus (Historia Augusta) ¦ This little lad was
called Caesar by Victoria
2. Nōlō equidem mihi
fierī ventulum. (Plautus) ¦ Really, for my part, I don't want
a breath to be raised.
3. Nebula cōnstat aut ex
ortū nūbēculae aut ex eius reliquiīs (Apuleius, On the Cosmos)
¦ Mist is constituted either from the beginnings of a small cloud or
from its remains
4. ut puerīs ōlim dant crustula blandī
/ doctōrēs, elementa velint ut discere prīma (Horace) ¦ as good-natured
teachers at first give cakes to their boys, that they may be
willing to learn their first rudiments
5. ille nunc superbus et
superfluēns / perambulābit omnium cubīlia / ut albulus columbus
aut Adōneus? (Catullus 29) ¦ And that man now, arrogant and overflowing, / will
make rounds of everyone's bed, / like a little white cock-pigeon
or an Adonis?
6. The first line of
Catullus’ first poem:
Cui dōnō lepidum novum libellum? ¦ To whom do I dedicate this new, charming little book?
No comments:
Post a Comment